In Policy Practice for Social Workers by Linda Cummins, what do the Republicans think about the influx of migrant children crossing the border? What do the Democrats think? What are the political...

In Policy Practice for SocialWorkers by Linda Cummins, what do the Republicans think about the influx of migrant children crossing the border? What do the Democrats think? What are the political factors influencing the way this crisis is being handled? What about the timing?

While online access to the book Policy and Practice for Social Workers by Linda Cummins is limited, there certainly is a great deal of information right now concerning the current problem of the huge influx of illegal immigrant children crossing the border from Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala, and what action to take is certainly a heated debate between Democrats and Republicans.

Most Democrats, led by President Obama, hesitate to deport the children because they see the children as arriving to seek asylum from poverty and dangerous conditions. The children also pose a legal problem due to the William Wilberforce Trafficking Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 that ensures more legal protection to children without adults. Currently, Obama proposes the release of $3.7 billion in emergency funds to provide humanitarian services to the children to detain them, offer housing services, increase immigration law enforcement, hire more immigration judges to oversee asylum cases, and deport them as needed ("White House sticks by 'plan A' to handle illegal immigrant children"). Already, nearly two-thirds, or 65%, of the illegal children requesting asylum have been approved ("Two-thirds of illegal immigrant children approved for asylum: report").

In contrast, most Republicans are not seeing the influx of illegal children as an emergency humanitarian issue but rather as a legal issue. They don't want to fund billions without any guarantees from Obama that measures will be taken to put an end to the influx of illegal children. What's more, they feel that smugglers are convincing the children to cross the borders, telling them it will be easy for them to disappear once over the border, and they see it as a case of "rampant asylum fraud" ("Two-thirds"). In the words of Republican Representative Bob Goodlatte, one reason for the influx of illegal children is "President Obama's refusal to crack down on rampant asylum fraud" ("Two-thirds"). Instead of issuing the $3.7 billion in emergency funds, many republicans propose altering the 2008 act to allow for minors from Central America to be treated just like minors from Mexico and Canada who illegally cross the border. Such illegal minors can be deported much more quickly. The new law would speed up the process of immigration court hearings, ensuring the illegal minors have a court date seven days after being processed by the Department of Health and Human Services. An immigration judge would take no longer than three days to judge whether or not the child should be granted asylum or deported ("Poll: Obama, Republicans face broad disapproval over handling of migrant crisis").

In short, concerning the perspectives of both Democrats and Republicans with respect to the huge influx of illegal children crossing the border from Central America, liberals, or Democrats, want "additional resources necessary to ensure the well-being and fair treatment of children and refugees," while in contrast, Republicans want to crack down on the "lax [law] enforcement policies [that] have enticed them to come" ("Poll"; "Two-thirds").